Our Quirky First-Day Homeschool Traditions
When our oldest child officially started homeschooling back in 2020, my husband and I came up with our own quirky “first day of school” homeschool traditions. That’s one of the beautiful things about homeschooling; you get to be a little weird in the best ways that work for your family. For us, this means a few things. It means celebrating the first day of a new school year on a Saturday so my husband can join the fun.
Homeschool Traditions
Besides starting on Saturday and getting our first day family photo, another homeschool tradition is crowning our daughter with rosemary from our yard, a nod to the name of our homeschool (Rosemary Academy) and to rosemary’s symbolism of wisdom and remembrance. We always snap a family photo and record her “favorites” for the year to mark the moment in small, meaningful ways.
None of it is big or flashy, but these homeschool traditions have made sweet memories that I hope last a long time.
These days, life feels fuller than ever. Playdates and extracurricular activities, teaching electives, and running a small business (or two): our autumn calendar is busy. I’m grateful for all of it, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t also a little overwhelmed sometimes. And then there’s the daily reality every homeschool mom knows too well: feeding people all the time. Because we live in a rural area and I have a gluten allergy, I cook about 95% of our meals at home.
Healthy food matters to me, it always has. I am not 100% crunchy, but I do consider myself to be squarely “scrunchy” (semi-crunchy). This means I’ll burn a candle that I like without investigating it too much, but I do try to feed my family good ingredients.
Years ago, I always bought organic. However, as our family grew and grocery prices climbed, this became one of the things I let slip. Honestly, it just felt too expensive. There is also a fairly limited selection of gluten-free items and other health food goods where we live. What you can find is often pricey, and you have to do a bit of driving to find it.
That’s why I was thrilled to discover Azure Standard recently. Azure Standard was one of the originals in the organic, bulk grocery delivery. They do community drops in thousands of towns all over the country, which is what makes the products more affordable. I was shocked to discover that they even have a drop-off point near me! It felt like discovering a secret society of like-minded “scrunchy folks.” You can also have some of your groceries delivered directly to you if you don’t mind paying shipping costs, which is what I decided to do for my first order. (Read this for options if you don’t have an Azure Standard drop location near you.)
Basically, Azure Standard makes organic, cost-effective groceries accessible, even out here in the country. As you may be picking up on (and maybe you’re in the same place in life), I am in a life stage where I value simplicity when I can find it. I want to make healthy food, but I want to have to spend the day driving around to find it. I want beautiful homeschool traditions, but I don’t want the planning of them to stress me out and steal their magic. Azure Standard fits right into that mindset of fun and simplicity, and I think it’s going to be the perfect addition to our homeschool year.
I didn’t plan it this way, but my very first Azure Standard order arrived the day before our back-to-school Saturday. It ended up making me more excited about this new grocery ritual than ever. There’s just something about unpacking a box full of good, wholesome things that makes you feel like you’re setting the stage for a special season ahead.
My daughter had been asking to make homemade marshmallows for quite a while, and this order gave us the perfect excuse. Marshmallows are a little bit history, a little bit science, and a lot of hands-on fun. I was able to get real marshmallow root and an incredible vanilla bean powder from Azure, and both found their way into our first day of school fun. (And maybe new homeschool traditions?)
Sweet History Lesson
If you’d like to make this confection in your homeschool and tie it in with a bit of history (another of our homeschool traditions), I wanted to include it here for you to use, too. The word for the candy we call “marshmallows” comes from the marshmallow root itself (Althaea officinalis). This plant grows in marshy areas and has long been valued for its medicinal properties, which soothe the throat and stomach. For centuries, marshmallow root has been used in teas, lozenges, and syrups as a natural remedy.
By the 1800s, French confectioners began whipping the plant’s sap with sugar and egg whites to make the first fluffy marshmallows, though the process was slow and labor-intensive. Eventually, candy makers replaced the root with gelatin, which created the light, springy texture we know today. While modern marshmallows no longer contain the plant, using marshmallow root in our recipe gave us a fun connection back to the history behind the name. If you would like the recipe for my Homemade Marshmallow Recipe, head over to our sister site Love These Recipes by clicking the images below. 
But beyond the marshmallows, this order gave me exactly what I was hoping for: a mix of simple pantry staples and fun extras that made our first day feel both nourishing and celebratory. I was especially excited by the gluten-free finds (at much better prices than I can get locally) and unique ingredients like carob powder, something that reminds me of my 90s childhood being raised by a “scrunchie” mom as well. Keep reading below to see what I ordered from Azure, how the ingredients made our first day healthy, fun, and simple.
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What We Ordered from Azure Standard
Pantry Staples
One of the things I’ve heard about Azure is that their bulk pantry staples are not something to miss out on. I was excited to see that they had gluten-free organic rolled oats. Yes, I know oatmeal should always be gluten-free, but a lot of times, unless it’s marked GF, it is cross-contaminated. I ordered a big bag of the gluten-free rolled oats because it’s such a good go-to breakfast for our family and everyone likes it.
I also ordered a large bag of organic quinoa since that is something we use all the time at home. We love to make quick quinoa bowls for lunch or dinner. Throw some protein, some veggies, and a little sauce (Sriracha is my favorite) over quinoa, and you’ve got yourself a nutrient-dense meal that will keep you going. Lastly, I ordered a large bag of Bob’s Red Mill 1-for-1 gluten-free flour. The prices on all of these were amazing and it makes me feel good knowing we’re stocked up on basics we’ll actually use. 
Fun Extras
I couldn’t resist adding a few fun extras to our Azure order. There are a lot of unique options available that I just can’t find where I live. The carob powder was such a nostalgic find, and we’ve already used it for cozy hot chocolate during homeschool read-aloud time. I was also excited about the gluten-free ramen noodles made with brown rice and millet. My family loves ramen, and these noodles (in addition to being GF) also have protein and fiber, making them a great, quick lunch option.
Another unique find, as I’ve said, was marshmallow root and some vanilla bean powder. I’m planning to experiment with both of these in all kinds of fun ways! Having these staples, gluten-free essentials, and fun extras on hand felt like such a gift as we stepped into a new school year. It meant easy breakfasts, quick lunches, and a few special treats woven into our first-day traditions, making the start of our homeschool year feel both simple and memorable. So what did we do? Keep reading…
Our First Day of Homeschool Traditions (This Year)
We started our first day of school this year the way we always do: with a good breakfast, followed by rosemary crowns and an “about me” page. As my daughter edges closer to her teen years, I know there may come a day when she tells me she’s outgrown the rosemary crowns, but for now, this sweet little tradition has held strong for five years.
For breakfast, I cooked the rolled oats in our trusty rice cooker. If you’re a homeschool mom not using your rice cooker for more than rice, let me tell you: it’s a game changer. We love to make oatmeal and quinoa in it, and it comes out perfectly every time. Honestly, we use ours almost daily.
The gluten-free oats from Azure were amazing. I tossed in chopped apple, ginger, and cinnamon while they cooked, then topped the bowls with a little brown sugar. The oats turned out fluffy, filling, and flavorful. Everyone was a fan, even my picky toddler! After breakfast, my daughter filled out her “about me” page, sketching and writing about her life so far this year. We snapped some family photos outside and then dove into our curriculum.
Since we school lightly in the summer, this part felt pretty routine. What makes the first day truly special, though, are the traditions woven around the lessons. For lunch, we paused to try out our new ramen noodles from Azure. My kids both love ramen, and these gluten-free brown rice and millet noodles were a hit. I tossed them with the protein and veggies we had on hand. Maybe not totally traditional, but very good! I foresee this being a favorite go-to lunch for us.
Keeping it Simple, So We Can Focus on the Memories
Starting a new school year can feel overwhelming, but having nourishing food at hand and simple homeschool traditions in place makes all the difference. This Azure Standard order also reminded me that a few well-chosen staples and fun extras can ease the stress of meal planning while also creating space for joy and making some new homeschool traditions: A bowl of oatmeal shared around the table, a quick ramen lunch between lessons, or the sticky experiment of making homemade marshmallows together… they are all small things that are actually big things.
As we all know, homeschooling isn’t about doing it all perfectly. It’s about weaving learning into everyday life and creating moments that our kids will remember forever. If you’re like me, you’re looking for ways to simplify that process so that you can enjoy homeschooling alongside your kids, whenever possible. If you’re looking for a way to take some of the weight off your plate (literally and figuratively), I can’t recommend checking out Azure Standard enough. Stocking up on good food frees us to focus on what really matters: raising loved, well-nourished kids who enjoy a childhood full of learning.
Do you have any homeschool traditions? Let us know in the comments!
